What Fibromyalgia Means for Me

The pain from my fibromyalgia is always there to some extent…

A dull ache through my body like I’ve been running on empty for a few weeks. That I can handle so long as I take it easy.

It’s the evenings and days after I’ve done anything – and I do mean anything – that hurt the most. Even something as simple as going to Tesco’s for a big shop, or a wander around the shops in Stirling means I’m out of action for the evening. Pain meds and heat packs help keep it at bay to an extent, but the hardest bit is falling asleep on those nights.

It’s not the sort of pain that eases when you lie down.

On top of the fibro I have pelvic pain that dates back to pregnancy over ten years ago. If you’ve ever experienced pelvic pain during pregnancy you know it hurts more when you lie down. Yeah… those nights aren’t fun.

The thing is, I can handle the pain most of the time. I can take painkillers and shove pillows and cushions around my back and legs etc to help, but the exhaustion? The “fibro fog”? That’s the thing that stops me in my tracks.

The sort of tired that you feel like you’re gonna pass out if you don’t get horizontal straight away.

You can’t quite figure out your thoughts into words and everything becomes a bit jumbled.

The only thing I can do to combat this is sleep. It’s the only thing that works. I can try to carry on, get myself caffeinated through some energy drinks and go outside for some fresh air, but none of it works.

Sleep isn’t just the best medicine, it’s the only one that works for the exhaustion.

See, this is why the hustle doesn’t work for me. I can only sustain it for so long, and then I collapse in a heap of pain and fog.

Over the years I’ve got used to how to deal with it though. I know the best thing to help me is to have a regular sleep schedule.

Unfortunately Max doesn’t always get the memo about this one – his sleep is much better but he’ll still wake in the middle of the night at least once a week… and then there’s the summer months when he wakes with the birds. That can be painful… literally!

Other than that it’s basically make sure I keep relatively mobile.

I find if I spend a day in bed because of the fog, it helps with the alertness, but doesn’t help with the pain. But like I said, pain is manageable, exhaustion isn’t.

Basically this is my long winded explanation about why I’m not the most regular of blog posters. I mean, I know I don’t need to give an explanation, but it feels right to let you, my lovely readers, know (you’re amazing, thank you!) – it’s more about being authentically me.

Sharing that not everything is sunshine and roses, but that everyone has their bad days, myself included. Sometimes mine are just a bit more exhausting than I’d like.

10 Comments

You’re an amazing person for getting through this battle daily. I for one, completely understand the agonising pain and constant battle with emotions! It’s draining… But, you’re still here, and still fighting! Keep going Darling. xoxohttp://www.beautynbrushes.co.uk

This must be so tough for you – but here are, still going. You are some cookie, and I admire you so much for it! What a truly ghastly condition, and I’m so sorry you have to endure it 🙁

Pelvic pain, oh my. I had this horrifically when I was expecting my girl but I was lucky in that it disappeared right away afterwards – I can absolutely sympathise. So awful for you. I’m surprised you get anything above the very bare minimum done at all 🙁

Thanks lovely, I’m lucky mine is still relatively manageable with the right combo of pain meds and rest. It’s hard but there’s not really any other option than to keep going and focus on the positive as much as possible! xo

I’ve got fibromyalgia as well as some other chronic illness all of which also impact my energy levels. It’s so hard to explain to others what fatigue actually is and how it impacts on everything. An early night won’t achieve anything

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Hey lovely, thanks for visiting my little space on the interwebs! I guess I should introduce myself, huh? Well, I'm Marylin, 33, a single mama living in the heart of Scotland with my two sons who are 12 and 10. I write about our family life, autism, blogging and a plethora of other hobbies such as reading the cards, personal development, building confidence, and self esteem as a mum. If you'd like to know more just click on "About" up on the top left there to read the rest. Hope you have a great day!